WGN BRAIN TRUST: CJ Kornhaus

17 May , 2018

Written By: Steve Vegvari

CJ Kornhaus is one of the two owners of eRa Eternity. Based in Pennsylvania, CJ is one of two acting CEOs for the company, alongside Torontonian, Alex Arteaga. eRa Eternity was formed back in 2012. The basis began as a platform for Youtube montage videos and a dedicated Trickshot team. In five short years, it has begun to grow and proliferate worldwide.

As subscribers grew, the means to pursue a focus on eSports was obtainable. CJ joined the team during that transition. As a result, CJ Kornhaus has helped grow the company with over 161’000 subscribers and a range of eSports teams. From Call of Duty, to Smite and Gears of War. eRa Eternity has extended their reach nation wide.

I spoke to CJ and got to pick his brain about the ever evolving ecosystem and how it got his start in it all.

Q: Can you tell the readers a bit about yourself?

A: My name is CJ. A lot of my passion is for basketball, GO CAVS! I was lucky enough to score 1,000 points in high school. Another major passion of mine is for soccer. I have a 3 year old Son whom is the most adorable kid in the world. Before eSports, I wanted to go to law school and become a corporate lawyer. Ultimately, I decided not to pursue it.

Q: How did you first get into the eSports scene?

A: I became apart of the eSports scene in Call of Duty: Ghosts when I started playing “competitively”. I thought I was going to be a star playing on MainStage but quickly realized I was not good enough and that is when I started my organization.

Q: Can you give us a walkthrough of how eRa Eternity started?

A: eRa Started back in 2012 as a Sniping and Trickshot YouTube team. We competed alongside the other big sniping teams we know today like FaZe Clan, and Team EnVyUs. We started the eSports side of eRa late 2016 into early 2017.

Q: At what point did all your focus go into eRa Eternity?

A: After I realized i was not good enough to play CoD professionally in Advanced Warfare, I wanted to start my own organization. Gaming is something I have a huge passion for and I wanted to make a career out of it. A few years ago I sat down with my parents and told them that this is what I wanted to do. They said “If you can find a way to do it, we will support your decision.” My son was born around the same time as I jumped into eSports and the only thing I want to do is make my son proud of his dad. A lot of what I do is inspired by my son, Logan.

Q: Over the years have you ever had to recalibrate the direction of the company due to industry changes?

A: When I first started in eSports there was not anywhere close to as much structure or money that there is today. Over the past couple of years I have had to make a lot of changes, business wise, in order to continue the eSports journey. Not going into too much detail but yes, there is a lot we have had to change.

Q: You come from a clear background of playing Call of Duty. As a both a fan and business owner with stakes in the game, what are your thoughts on WWII?

A: WWII is fantastic! Sure, there are a few changes that need to be made in game but so far it has been great! It is very refreshing being able to play boots on the ground again. At this time I have prestiged twice and am level 31.

The play style of this game is much different from the past jetpack games. There is more of a strategic approach to all game modes. A slower pace, more team effort, and you can’t be headless.

Q: What can everyone expect to see from you and eRa Eternity in the coming months?

A: Keep an eye on eRa. Big things are coming. That is all I’m going to say for now.